1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the production of certain novel alkoxylated ether sulfate anionic surfactants based on branched chain alcohols. More particularly, this invention relates to certain novel relatively short chain ether alcohol sulfate anionic surfactants from propylene oxide or 1,2-butylene oxide, which exhibit properties comparable to or better than commercial surfactants prepared from "detergent" range alcohols.
2. Description of the Prior Art
During the last several years, primary "detergent" range alcohol ethoxylated sulfates have been used extensively in large volume surfactant applications such as light duty liquid dishwashing detergents, concentrated laundry detergents, hard surface cleaners, and as textile surfactants. The advantages of the ethoxylated ether sulfates over the previously employed alcohol sulfates include ready synthesis, increased solubility, and insensitivity to hard water (see for example T. P. Matson, Soap and Chemical Specialties, November 1963).
Propoxylated and butoxylated alcohol ether sulfate anionic surfactants have been disclosed in the prior art, but are not known to have been employed in commercial applications. A substantial portion of prior art disclosing such surfactant compositions deals only with "detergent" or fatty range alcohols, i.e. C.sub.12 -C.sub.18 alcohols, as disclosed, for example, in Weil et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,706, and with short oxypropylene chains generally containing between about 1 and 3 propylene oxide units, as disclosed, for example in Tuvell et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,775,349. Although certain ether alcohol sulfate compositions derived from straight chain carbon alcohols of shorter chain length and containing greater than 3 oxypropylene units have been studied, for example, by J. Chlebicki et al, "Synthesis and Surface Activity of Sodium Polyoxypropylated Higher Alcohol Sulfates", Tenside Detergents, 17, 130-134 (1980), the authors conclude that these materials are generally inferior surfactants as compared with propoxylated surfactants prepared from "detergent" range alcohols.
Fabric softners employable in the laundry wash, rinse or dryer cycle are desired for commercial application. Furthermore, because of the inconvenience of rinse and dryer cycle application, the industry, is attempting to develop softeners that are compatible with wash cycle applications. Cation quaternary ammonium salts, which are used commercially in fabric softening applications, cannot be used in the wash cycle with anionic surfactants. It is believed that the cationic and the anionic materials complex and precipitate, thus reducing detergency. Although wash cycle detergent/fabric softner formulations have been prepared from non-ionic surfactants and cationic softners, these formulations lack the detergent power that can be obtained when an anionic surfactant is used as the detergent.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide new and useful anionic surfactants based on branched oxo alcohols, i.e. relatively short chain, as compared with detergent range, linear alcohols.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a liquid, highly active anionic surfactant composition employable without use of other solvents, other than water.
A further object of the present invention is to provide water and organic solvent soluble anionic surfactant compositions characterized as being low foaming and free of unpleasant odor, and which exhibit excellent detergency, particularly with respect to use of polyester fabrics and excellent stability in hard water.
It is another object of this invention to provide non-viscous, readily flowable, liquid, highly active concentrated anionic surfactant composition requiring no added solubilizing agent.
Other objects of this invention are readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description.